"Insecure" Actor Jay Ellis to Serve as 2018 American Black Film Festival Celebrity Ambassador; Submissions Open Until February

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)
The 22^nd American Black Film Festival (ABFF) will include an exciting lineup of film screenings, events and innovative programming, and will return to Miami from June 13-17, 2018.  The week will include several new experiences, including Smartphone movie screenings, a master class on film financing, music-focused sessions and new networking opportunities for festival attendees.  ABFF continues to be dedicated to introducing emerging content creators of African descent to the industry at large and is recognized as one of the leading film festivals in the world.
Actor Jay Ellis will serve as the 2018 ABFF Celebrity Ambassador. Annually, the festival showcases dynamic content by and about people of African descent from around the world and consists of five competitive categories: Narrative Features, Documentaries, Short Films, Web Series and Smartphone Originals. Submissions are now open and below is a list of film submission deadlines, Awards and direct submission links:
*Narrative Features:
Regular Submissions Deadline: February 15, 2018
Early Submissions Deadline: December 31, 2017

• Grand Jury Award–Best Narrative Feature (Prize TBD)
• Grand Jury Award–Best Director, Narrative Feature (Prize TBD)

Audience Award–Best Narrative Feature (Prize TBD)
http://www.abff.com/submissions/narrative-features/

*Documentaries:
Early Submissions Deadline: December 31, 2017
Regular Submissions Deadline: February 15, 2018
Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary (Prize TBD)
http://www.abff.com/submissions/documentaries/

*HBO Short Films:
Early Submissions Deadline: December 31, 2017
Regular Submissions Deadline: February 15, 2018
HBO Short Film Award ($10,000 cash prize)
http://www.abff.com/submissions/short-films/
*Web Series:
Submissions Deadline: January 31, 2018
Audience Award–Best Web Original (Prize TBD)
http://www.abff.com/submissions/web-series/
*Smartphone Originals:
Submissions Deadline: January 31, 2018
Best Smartphone Original (Prize TBD)
http://www.abff.com/submissions/smartphone-originals/
Festival passes are on sale now at www.abff.com, and offer three different levels of access to festival screenings, official and premium events. Questions regarding registration may be directed to info@abffventures.com.
ABFF SOCIAL MEDIA:
Twitter            @ABFF
Facebook         American Black Film Festival
Instagram       @AmericanBlackFilmFestival
YouTube          American Black Film Festival
Hashtags         #ABFF18, #WeAreABFF
Sponsors for the American Black Film Festival are HBO® (Founding and Presenting Sponsor); Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (Host and Presenting Sponsor); Turner (Premier Sponsor) and Walter Kaitz Foundation (Industry Partner).
ABOUT ABFF:
The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. It supports emerging artists to foster a wider range of images, stories and storytellers represented in the entertainment industry. The festival is committed to the belief that Black artists and content creators deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. ABFF founder Jeff Friday conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to promote diversity in the motion picture industry, and strengthen the Black filmmaking community through resource sharing, education, artistic collaboration and career development. Today, the ABFF is recognized as the preeminent pipeline to new Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera, and is regarded as one of the leading film festivals in the world. The ABFF is a property of ABFF Ventures, a multifaceted entertainment company specializing in the production of live events, television and digital content targeted to upscale African American audiences.